The game environment is the fundamental starting point for making fantasy decisions, so I’m going to break down each game on the list into three categories: binge, stream, and skip.
The games you want to “binge-watch” are like the TV shows you can’t miss: you watch them as soon as they’re released, and you might just watch every episode in a weekend. They’re the fantasy games that get all your friends started and the ones whose storylines define the season.
The games you want to “stream” are like shows you watch from start to finish, but maybe you finish them over time instead of all at once. While these games don’t have a lot of “must-see games,” we can pick our spots and the teams are likely to matter in the NFL playoff picture.
Finally, the games you want to “ignore” are like the shows you tend to ignore, but you can watch an episode here and there (or just read recaps online to stay up to date with the culture). There will be one or two non-obvious players who stand out in these games, but overall, it’s not the best environment for fantasy football.
Let’s dive into my Week 1 Fantasy Football Viewer’s Guide.
BINGE
Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles
Two of the NFL’s best offenses will meet Friday night in Brazil. While we should have high expectations for both, one is a very stable unit while the other is going through a major transition.
The Packers bring back their layers of talent and rising quarterback Jordan Love, with one of the NFL’s best play-callers and offensive designers at the helm. Green Bay’s offense is exactly the ecosystem we want to be exposed to in fantasy football. The problem is, they have at least four players deep in the receiver room with good players (to some extent) and are likely to get their two talented young tight ends involved. We all knew that would create a compression of targets and routes, so neither was ranked too highly and it’s hard to play either of them as anything other than WR3 or WR4 options, even in a good matchup.
We’re about to get our first hints at how the roles might play out over the rest of the season. That could lead to an overreaction to one-week data points. Still, this one will be more important than any 2023 playing time stat from your favorite fantasy analyst or offseason coach grade.
As was my case all offseason, my enthusiasm for the receivers room as a whole leads me to greater exposure to Jordan Love. He’s a top-five quarterback in Week 1 against a defense that was chaotic through the end of last year. While Vic Fangio will right the ship in time, his defenses have taken about a month to warm up over the years.
The Eagles are much more fascinating to watch in Week 1. You’re playing all the key players, so there’s not much need for analysis from a fantasy perspective. However, this is one of the most fascinating fact-finding missions of Week 1. I’ve written about it extensively over the past…